Brotherly Love
by keeperofthetardis
Summary: "Tony chuckled. 'You know what, Virginia Potts? I like you.'" Set in the early days just after Pepper Potts is hired by Tony Stark, pre-Iron Man. Explores the relationship between Pepper and her new employer, and her relationship with her brother Michael.
1. Chapter 1

Hey guys, this is the first Iron Man fic I've written, so I guess I'm still getting into the hang of doing all the stuff with the character voices and all that. Reviews are much appreciated to let me know if they sound in character or not. This is set before Iron Man 1, though in later chapters I will skip forward to bits and pieces of Iron Man 1 and 2. And if you all can think of a better title, feel free to let me know. (BTW, the reason for the title becomes evident in later chapters. :)

~ Lindsey

* * *

**Brotherly Love **

**Chapter 1**

Virginia Potts… he didn't know what to make of her. They'd gone to high school together, a long time ago. He seems to remember a redheaded, freckled girl sitting in the back of the class, with an organized folder, and three sharpened pencils, but it was just homeroom, and while vague memories of her rested in the back of his mind, he really never had a reason to remember her, and so he hadn't, until that moment. Sitting across the desk from her in his office, interviewing her for the job.

He had to admit, it was a lucky find on hiring and firing's end.

"How did you get put up for this position again?"

"Put up? I applied for it."

"No I get that, but who do you know in the company that got you this far? There are loads of women lining up for this part. What makes you stick out?"

"I don't know anybody," she replied, quite collectedly.

"Nobody at all?" he queried.

"No sir," she replied, and held his stare across the desk.

Ok then. It was time for the quick-fire.

"Worked as a PA before?"

"After college, yes."

"College degree then?"

"Stanford. Bachelors in business management."

"Ah," he said. "How many times have you PA'd?"

"Seven," she replied. "I've had seven previous employers."

"Who?"

She rattled off a bunch of names like it was her street address.

"So why aren't you working for them instead?"

"Some of them didn't want me after a while, or require my help. So they let me go. Two died. They were quite old, and that's why they needed me. Then there was Mr. Veldingberger."

"Veldingberger?" Tony questioned, "his company went down for fraud last month. I was watching it on TV when his stock plummeted."

Tony narrowed his eyes. Perhaps this Miss Potts wasn't all that she seemed. He wondered if she'd been involved in the fraud.

"Well, I was the one who exposed the fraud," she said, pressing her lips into a thin line before continuing, "if there's one thing I will not stand for, it is dishonest dealings and corruption."

Tony leaned back in his chair and said,

"Ok," then looked at her thoughtfully.

"Parents? Living or dead?"

"Both deceased."

"Family you see at holidays?"

She shifted in her chair as if the words affected her, but kept her cool.

"No."

"So vacation time? I warn you, I'm a very demanding man." His words held another meaning that she chose to ignore.

"Just my birthday. I'd like my birthday off," she replied.

"Ok," he said, and was silent for a minute, leaning back in his comfy office chair.

"GPA?"

"3.85."

"Do you ever drink?"

"Occasionally."

"How about at work."

"Rarely."

"We might have to fix that," he says, smirking.

"Or not," she counters.

"Well. Ever broken a bone?"

"Twice?"

"Where?"

"My left arm."

"Both times?" he said.

"Yes,"

"How did you manage that?"

"The first time it was waterskiing. I ended up falling out of the boat on a sharp turn, and hit my arm on the side. I also nearly drowned. I was twelve then. The next time was at a party when I was 15. It was a birthday party for my friend, and my arm got slammed in a car door by a guy who was half drunk."

"Ooh. So what did you do to him? Strangle him? Yell curses at him? Kick the door back at him in his face?"

Pepper took a breath and replied with considerable cool, that indicated slight amusement.

"I phoned my parents and we made his insurance pay for the damages. I fail to see how any of this is relevant to job placement, though."

Tony chuckled.

"You know what, Virginia Potts? I like you."

Tony pushed himself up out of his chair and went around to the other side of the desk. Pepper stood up to face him.

"You can have the job," he said, and extended his hand for Pepper to shake.

Pepper smiled, a genuine grin. She was actually very pleased, however collected she seemed on the outside.

She shook his hand, and he took the opportunity to catch her gaze.

Pepper looked back, with an even, steady look. She knew exactly what she was getting herself into.

"Thank you, Mr. Stark," she said.

"Yep!" Tony said, letting go of her hand and going round to his desk again, pulling out a box of chocolates from a drawer and popping one into his mouth.

"Don't call me Mr. Stark," he mumbled around the chocolate, "it makes you sound like a journalist."

"What would you rather me call you then, Sir?" she said.

"Call me Tony. I like Tony. What do I call you?"

She paused for a moment, considering whether or not she should tell him the nickname her family had long used. Eh, why not? She told herself, and said,

"It's Pepper."

"Well then, Miss Pepper Potts. Here's a stack of stuff I need you to do," he grabbed a bunch of papers off his desk and plopped them into her arms. Pepper looked surprised, and taken aback.

"What, is now not a good time for you to start work?" he asked, like a little boy who didn't quite understand why he couldn't have a lollipop until he'd eaten dinner.

"No, no now is just fine," Pepper recovered, and headed for the door.

"Good," Tony replied, and motioned Pepper to leave his office.

"Catch you later, Potts," he said, as she left.

Pepper grinned to herself as she went through the door.

"Afternoon, Tony," she replied.

* * *

A few minutes later, and she'd been shown to an office, with a lovely view of the city, and a cozy desk, and plenty of space for her to work. The desk already had a computer and a telephone on it.

"Thank you, Meagan," she said, to the young office worker who had shown her around.

"No problem, Miss Potts."

Meagan left, and she was alone in the room. She sat down at the desk and let herself smile a shy, ecstatic smile. Even though she was by herself, and could do all her 'end of job hunt YAY success!' celebrating she wanted to, she still held it in. On the clock after all.

"Virginia Potts, Personal Assistant to Mr. Tony Stark," she whispered, looking out of the window.

She turned around, and picked up the phone, dialing the number she knew better than her own phone number.

There was a click then,

"Hello?"

"Michael!" she said, barely able to contain her excitement. "I got the job!"

"WOO! YAY Pepper! That's fantastic!" replied the boyish voice on the other end of the line.

And it was.

* * *

A/N: That's the end of chapter 1. Next chapter shall be more emotional, and delves into more character development. Thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

Hello! Here is chapter 2. This one focuses on Tony and what I imagine could have been his past, based on what I've seen in the films, and the bits of the comics I've read. Again, reviews are lovely - I'm brand new at Iron Man fanfiction so I'm interested to know whether you all like it, and if it sounds like it makes sense. Cheers!

~ Lindsey

Also, I forgot a disclaimer on chapter 1, so. I DON'T OWN ANYTHING.

There.

* * *

**Brotherly Love**

**Chapter 2**

Within the first few weeks, Pepper had made it abundantly clear what type of Personal Assistant she was. Reliable. Trustworthy. Collected at all times. Scheduled. Clever. She had it together. Fashionable. Steadfast. And she knew better than anybody else how to get reporters off Tony Stark's back, delay board meetings, and sort of begin to run the company that Tony had been struggling to handle. As much as he hated to admit it, he was really bad a business management. Which was why Pepper was clearly a Godsend.

But Pepper also made something clear. She knew how to understand the personalities of people. That's what made her so good at her job. And unlike every single other female assistant he'd ever had, Pepper Potts seemed immune to Tony's flirting, and somehow was able to make _him_ tow the line, instead of the opposite. Assistants were always one of three things. Boring, unreliable, or way, way, way, too interested in Tony's personal life. Tony was great with people. He could win them over in a second. But there were few people who treated him normally enough for him to actually feel like anybody knew him.

This is why Pepper surprised him. They settled into an easy sort of gait in their working relationship, like she had known him for a very long time, and he didn't have to make excuses for himself. Which is the way it should be, he thought. He wondered what made her so good at her job. She was actually a pain, most of the time. In addition to fraud, corruption, and dishonest dealings, she did not stand for a number of things, including lateness, excessive partying on nights when there was a pressing meeting the next day, cursing out diplomats, and a few other things, including his propensity to set various parts of his house on fire.

He got away with most of it. He was Tony Stark. He was the world's favorite piece of genius billionare playboy philanthropist eye-candy. And he really, really enjoyed it. His wild life enabled him to forget. To forget his lonesome past – his childhood where he was neglected by his father, and then the terrible dark days after his parents died. He'd become close to them in his later teenage years, realizing he wanted to do something, anything, to hold onto a sense of stability. They'd take him out places, and go and do things with him. He appreciated what efforts they did make. Because his parents were filthy rich. His dad was incredibly smart. And his mother was incredibly beautiful. They gave birth to a highly arrogant, and mostly desperate child. Then they died. They died and Tony was left with everything. The money, several houses, the plane, and the weapons manufacturing company. Seventeen. Emotionally unstable. Volatile. And heading for the brink of collapse.

For those few months before his parents died he thought he was ok. He thought that the summer he was seventeen was going to be the best summer of his life. They'd brought him back from boarding school, and he'd finally had the chance to feel like they cared about him. Like for once, somebody loved him. Even if they never said it.

Then there was the car accident. He remembered waking up in the middle of that rainy night to the phone ringing. He picked it up and it was a doctor. The doctor told him his parents were dead. He was an orphan. And he was alone.

He'd gone down to his father's workshop, took a monkey wrench, and smashed his wine cabinet, taking out the bottles one by one and drinking until he found something he liked. In his rage of hate, and anguish, and tears, and through his screaming at life, he somehow managed to drink himself until he didn't care anymore. Nothing mattered. The world blurred. His head started pounding. He gripped the bar and noticed some pills on the counter. He took them. He took more than he should have. His vision swam, and he collapsed. All was black. All was quiet. But his pain still continued.

He awoke in the hospital. He couldn't remember until later, all that had happened. Rhodey had found him. Rhodey was cool. He was a good friend. But he was busy. And he was going into the army. Tony didn't _really _have him. They said he was lucky to be alive. It had taken him a while to recover. Months of solitude in his house, and a few therapists, and a handful of lawyers and business men. They managed to get him to some sense of normalcy, to where he could at least think straight about the future of his company. Faced with a long conference table of lawyers, and other important people, he sat at the head and decided to do what any other seventeen year old would do.

Whatever he wanted.

* * *

He'd forgotten. He'd forgotten what it was like to have someone telling him what to do. He'd forgotten how he used to latch onto that sense of stability. And he'd also forgotten how good it felt to know that there would be somebody there to yell at you when you messed up. As much as he lived without them, he knew that he needed boundaries. Pepper brought those feelings back to him, but he was careful about it. He liked the stability yes, and he liked how even though as she got to know him better, she pushed him, and told him off when he needed it, but she was always cautious herself – not to cross too many lines. What he appreciated most is that he could see through her words in the times she yelled at him that perhaps there was an underlying sense of caring there that he never quite had with his mom and dad. There were lots of people that were good at yelling at Tony Stark. None could do it in a way that left him repentant, and somewhat sorry, and none could make him feel valued at the same time.

He got a sense of self-worth from Pepper Potts. She was beginning to become invaluable. And that scared him. It scared him quite a lot.


	3. Chapter 3

Annnnd, chapter 3. Moving this right along here. I am interested to see what you think of Pepper's point of view now - does it sound like her? Reviews, are lovely. Dislcaimer: I do not own Iron Man.

* * *

**Brotherly Love**

**Chapter 3**

She, on the other hand, found her new boss to be a bit of a fascinating case. Pepper Potts was phased by little. And her new boss was no exception. Yes, he was a genius. Yes, he was a billionare. Yes, he owned a private jet, and brought home girls who she had to show out while discreetly hinting that despite their thin model physiques, one Mr. Anthony Stark would not be calling them back. But she wasn't exactly surprised. He could do what he wanted, and her pay was excellent. She hadn't been able to afford to spend that much on her grocery bill in a long time. She'd _never_ gone out and bought a new flatscreen TV before.

Still, she took it upon herself to make sure he behaved. She wasn't exactly sure why she did this. It could have been the fact that if he messed something up, she was the one who had to take care of everything. And the press was constantly at his back. It was her job to keep them off his tail. She was pretty sure that Tony liked the attention anyway, and enjoyed the press making a field day out of his exploits, both personal and in his business. Pepper saved herself a lot of work by keeping Tony Stark from misbehaving too much.

Pepper liked it, she realized. Tony was somebody she could take care of, even if it meant getting him cups of coffee and wrestling with his tricky schedule, and handling aspects of the budget. And it certainly was unlike any other PA position she'd ever occupied. She was ashamed to admit that she did sort of like him in an odd way. Not so much for his personality, because his personality could be utterly infuriating, but because it was fulfilling. She could see that however independent Tony was, he really did need her help. And that made her feel needed, even if it was just needed for her work skills.

* * *

Every other Saturday, Tony gave her the day off. Unless there was a big event, she was free to go back to her apartment and do whatever she liked. Which was great, because Pepper took that opportunity to get together with her brother, Michael.

She hadn't told Tony about Michael, for no real reason. It wasn't that she was trying to keep her brother a secret, but part of her wasn't sure she wanted to tell her boss about her brother – the one person she truly cared about. She felt like those every other Saturday's should be her time to keep to herself, and if she wanted to hang out with her brother and keep that to herself, that was her choice.

That morning she was only at the Stark Mansion for a few hours. She had to pick up some paperwork she'd left there the previous day, and wasn't expecting Tony to be up from his workshop (where he was probably tinkering with one of the cars) but to her surprise, he was lying on the couch reading a physics book.

"Hey," he said, and Pepper noticed the banana in his hand.

"You're not supposed to eat food when you're lying down," she quipped, walking straight past him into the office off the main living room. Tony didn't reply to that, but instead said,

"Why are you back? I thought it was your day off."

"It is," she called back from the other room. "I came to pick up some paperwork."

"Oh," he said. "You're leaving then?" She came back out of the other room with a manila folder in her hand.

"Yes. Why?"

"Nothing, I just thought…" Tony intentionally left his sentence open ended as an incentive for her to press for an answer.

"Spit it out Tony, you're holding up my Star Wars marathon," she said.

"Star Wars marathon?"

"I'm allowed to have plans on my day off, aren't I?" she said, and rolled her eyes.

"Yeah. I just didn't figure you liked Star Wars." He sat up a bit on the sofa.

"It's Star Wars. How can anyone _not_ like Star Wars?" Pepper said.

"Fair point. Who are you having your Star Wars marathon with? And I do hope you are meaning to watch the original trilogy."

"Of course I'm watching the original trilogy. What do you take me for? And if I'm having a Star Wars marathon with anyone, it's none of your business." It sounded sharp, but underneath Tony could sense a hint of fondness or amusement or something.

"Well, I was just going to ask you about tomorrow. There's a charity benefit for the hospital, and I was thinking we should go. I mean, Stark Industries donated a significant amount of money to them last year, and I think it would be good to show up."

Pepper pulled out her little notebook she kept in her jean pocket for scheduling. Even though it was her day off, she knew better than to enter the Stark Mansion when Tony was around and not bring it with her.

"You want me to schedule in an appointment for you then? So you don't forget to go?"

"Yeah. Put in, Tony Stark, plus one, Children's Hospital Benefit."

"Will I have to notify your plus one, because if you're taking a date I think you should probably have somebody talk to the date first."

"I'm not taking a date," Tony blinked. "I'm taking you."

"Me?" Pepper said.

"Yeah, you're the plus one. What's the matter, you don't want to go?"

"I had nothing to do with the Children's Hospital this year. I mean, all I do is schedule appointments and stuff."

"You do more than that. I mean, think about all the times you organized meetings, and events, and stuff. Besides, what if somebody says, 'hey Tony, I'd like to schedule a meeting for us to talk over buying stock in Stark Industries,' and then my PA isn't there to pencil in an appointment? What then, hm?"

Tony looked a lot like the confused boy again.

"Well I…" Pepper paused and thought about it for a moment.

"I won't drink while I'm there," she said.

"That's fine. Just as long as you let me drink."

"You're not going to drink either, if you're going to drive home. You can take the Audi, and not drink, or let Happy drive you."

"Drive us," he corrected.

"Drive us," she repeated.

"Let Happy drive us," Tony said. Pepper wasn't all that surprised, and wrote herself a note to contact Happy about the next night's arrangements.

"Is that it?" she asked.

"Yeah," Tony said, and slunk down a bit further into his seat, taking another bite of his banana and looking at Pepper with a bit of childish defiance as he took a bite.

"Ok then, well I'm going to go enjoy the rest of my day off."

"Have fun with your Star Wars marathon! Wait," he sat up and looked after her over the back edge of the couch, as she walked away, "are you sure I can't come too?"

"Day. Off." Pepper said, punctuating her words.

"Have it your way," he called after Pepper's retreating form, and then realized after he said it that he was now having a craving for Burger King.

* * *

A/N: Chapter 4 shall come soon.


	4. Chapter 4

So here I am with chapter 4! Many thanks to those who reviewed! I'm really glad you like this story, and I'm excited to hear what you think of the new developments in the plot. Apologies for the differences in the indentation in this chapter. I'm posting quickly before I leave to go to a birthday party, and I don't have time to correct it. Maybe I will sometime. But for now, you get indentations. :P

Disclaimer: I do not own Iron Man.

* * *

**Brotherly Love**

**Chapter 4**

When Pepper breezed into her apartment, Michael was already there. Her apartment was nice and small, and while she spend barely anytime at it now that she worked long and late hours for Mr. Stark, she liked the feel of coming home to someplace that was hers. All hers. She'd bought it with the money she'd saved for years after college, wanting someplace she could settle at – no strings attached, and debt was a string attached. She spent so much time at the Stark Mansion anyway, that her apartment didn't matter in quite the same way as it used to. It wasn't exactly home, because home was somewhere you lived. And Pepper wasn't exactly sure where she did all her living. She spent most of her time with Tony, actually, but she did a lot of working, because that was her job, so she couldn't put her finger on exactly what it was that made her feel displaced. It was probably down to the fact that she was still getting over the adjustment of having a new job.

Every other Saturday though… Pepper figured that's what felt the most like her place was home. It was Michael. After picking up the papers and penciling in Tony's benefit appointment for the following evening, she drove straight home. She grinned as she drove up. Sitting on the guest parking spot for her driveway was a shiny new motorcycle.

"Wow," she said, when she'd gotten out of her car, and looked at it. It was a beautiful piece of work.

A moment later and Michael came bounding out the door to her complex. He was a moderately tall guy of 23, just out of college, with curly blond hair, defined cheekbones and freckles which he and Pepper both shared, and blue eyes. He grinned.

"Well Pepper?" he said, "What do you think? A fine piece of work, eh?" Michael ran a hand over the seat of his new bike.

Pepper grinned.

"It's fantastic, Michael!" she said, and stepped forward to hug her younger brother. "When did you get it?"

"Last week. Finally saved up… I had enough."

Michael released Pepper from their brief hug and shoved his hands in the pockets of his jeans, rocking back on his heels.

"I could have helped you if you'd mentioned this is what you were wanting to buy… I mean, I am making more now…"

"No, it's ok! Really! You knew I'd wanted one for a while, but I was glad to get it myself. You know, to do something on my own for once," Michael said, with a wistful half-smile.

"I know the feeling," Pepper smiled back, and looked past Michael to the front door. "Let's head on inside."

"Ok!" Michael said, "I got the video set up already."

They both went inside, and Pepper dropped her keys and purse on her kitchen island as she entered. Her apartment was small, with the kitchen opening out into the living room as you went in. Then there was a hallway down the right where an office, two bedrooms, and a bathroom were. Off the back there was a sliding door with a porch that she sat on sometimes. Michael went and sat down on the couch and picked up the remote.

"Ready?" he grinned.

"Yup!" Pepper replied, grabbing a blanket and plopping herself down on the sofa next to her brother.

Michael pressed play, and the Star Wars marathon began.

"A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…" Pepper whispered, as the first film started.

* * *

6 hours, one bag of chips, half a container of dip, four sprites and a veggie platter later, they'd finished the three movies, and the sky had long since blackened into the dark of night. Pepper sighed.

"Every time. They're awesome every single time."

"Yep," Michael said, smiling. "Hey, who is your favorite character?"

Pepper stood up and stretched, letting the blanket fall to the ground.

"Oh, I don't know… I guess it's Han Solo," she grinned a sort of guilty grin.

Michael laughed.

"See, I knew you were going to say that."

"How?"

"Well in the years past you always said it was Luke. But these days, you seem to have changed a bit. Or at least changed your taste in men."

Pepper smacked his arm lightly.

"What the heck are you talking about?" she laughed back.

"Oh nothing," Michael said, and smirked.

"Michael," Pepper said, in that tone of voice that said she _would_ get him to tell her what he meant.

"Why do you like Han Solo?" Michael asked.

"Well, I guess I just… I like that rogue hero type. You know, he does whatever he wants, he's sort of cocky, but underneath you know he's a good person. And you have to admit, the way he cares for Leia is really sweet."

"That's what I thought!" Michael teased.

"Oh stop," Pepper said, and grabbed the now empty veggie platter and took it to the kitchen.

Changing the subject, Pepper said,

"So did you get a new job?" she asked.

"Yeah. Working at the steel factory. I don't know, it's decent pay, but I feel like I'm cut out for more than that. I have so many ideas, there's too much I want to make, and not enough time to do it. I sort of transformed the basement room in my apartment complex into a workshop."

"And the landlord doesn't mind?"

"Not really. I asked him and he said it was ok. They weren't using it anyway. I still pay him some rent on it though."

"What are you trying to make these days?"

"It'll sound stupid…" Michael said, and rubbed the back of his head.

"No it won't! You can tell me!"

"Well… I'm sort of working on automated legs. Like, for people who've lost limbs and stuff. It'll help them walk."

Pepper looked up from the dishes and smiled at Michael,

"Aww, really? That's amazing!"

"Well… thanks," Michael smiled back.

"It's good that you're putting the college degree to a good use. You could do so much with it, you know. You're brilliant."

"Ah, I'm not that brilliant…" Michael countered.

"No, but you are! I mean, you're trying to make motorized legs. That's not something you hear every twenty-three year old talking about!"

"I guess that's true. Maybe someday I'll actually make something of myself."

"Michael… you're trying to do something for other people to help them." Pepper smiled, "You already have."

Michael smiled back.

"Here, I'll help you with the rest of the dishes."

* * *

They talked about various things as they washed the dishes together. Pepper thought to herself how happy this made her feel. To be together with her brother, the only family she had left. Soon, the conversation drifted to her job.

"So you're spending so much time working for this Tony Stark now… how do you like it?"

"I like it. It's good. The pay is um… well a lot more than I ever expected to make as a PA, and it's entertaining."

"He seems like… like a bit of a jerk, from the TV and the magazines," Michael said.

"Well… he has his moments. But he's not all that bad. I mean, I can see why he does it."

"Does what?"

"Well he sort of lives this extravagant life… he thinks everybody loves him. I think everybody loves his money, and he confuses that sometimes for people actually loving him. But… he doesn't really have anybody. So if you don't have anybody, and you've got money, why not live it up, right?"

"Yeah, I guess that makes sense. Still, it seems like it would be sort of sad…"

"He lost his parents when he was young." Pepper said, and her words hung in the air.

"Oh," Michael said. For a moment, they were silent, each lost in their own remembrances of what it was like to lose their own parents. And how very, very lost they felt.

"I think… I think Tony Stark is a good man," Pepper said, with a bit of uncertainty. "It just takes a trained eye to see it."

"You mean somebody who understands?"

Pepper paused, thinking.

"Yeah. Yeah, somebody who gets it."

"Well if anybody can, it's you, Pepper. It's no wonder he has you work so hard for him! You're really good at everything you do. And you're honest. I bet you keep him in line." Michael bumped Pepper's shoulder on purpose as they dried the dishes.

"Haha, yes, well. Sometimes."

The both laughed.

"I can see it in the headlines now, Pepper. 'Virginia "Pepper" Potts rescues billionaire Tony Stark from another embarrassing escapade on trip to Bahamas.'"

"Pretty much!" Pepper said, laughing. "You know, I think that you and Tony would get along really well."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, you have similar brains."

"Hm… I'm not sure if I want to have the brain of Tony Stark."

"You don't. You have the brain of Michael Potts. And that's all I'll ever ask of you." Pepper dried her hands off on the dish towel then handed it to Michael for him to use.

Michael smiled.

"Well thanks."

They finished cleaning up, and after Michael had hugged Pepper goodbye, at the door, and got onto his bike, Pepper waved.

"Bye Michael! Stay safe on your way home! I love you!"

"Love you too, sis!" Michael called through the helmet, and waved back, and with the roar of the motorcycle behind him, he drove off and was gone.

Pepper smiled. A good day off indeed.

* * *

A/N: Well that's that! Feel free to tell me what you think of Michael! :)


	5. Chapter 5

Hey there, folks! Finished up chapter 5 here. YAY an action sequence, sort of. :P Thank you to those who reviewed, and have been so encouraging! Further feedback is always welcome! :D

~ Lindsey

* * *

**Brotherly Love**

**Chapter 5**

_Tony._ Where was he? Where did he go? Pepper scanned the large crowd of people in tuexedos and formal dresses, searching for any hint of her boss anywhere. Losing Tony in a crowd equals not good. Losing Tony in a crowd of really rich people is another not good thing. Losing Tony in a crowd of rich people who are all under the impression that Tony Stark did not actually give to the hospital that year, and that he'd in fact stolen from them was a really not good thing. Especially when her boss was terribly good at 'losing himself' in the crowd with the sorts of people who were bound to get him into trouble.

Pepper scanned the crowd for any sign of Tony's dark hair, or his Armani suit, or particularly gorgeous women in ballgowns hanging of a man. Probably more than one woman at once.

He was nowhere to be found. Pepper sighed and started walking to the balcony at the edge of the banquet hall where the benefit was being held. She could weave through the crowd just fine, but that didn't help if she wasn't able to locate Tony. He was the whole reason she'd come. And true to form, he'd managed to leave her talking to some frightfully dull old man about who knows what, and then ran off, only for her to catch snippets of conversation about 'that stealing Tony Stark'. When she finally asked someone, (one of the banquet hall employees who didn't know who she was) what everybody was saying about Tony stealing something, it was revealed that there was a rumor going around about his stealing from the hospital.

Thus the search for her easily displaceable boss began. Out on the balcony, Pepper looked around, but Tony wasn't there either. She walked to the edge and leaned on the railing, looking down on the front walk and lawn to see if he'd made his escape there. Other people in formal wear stood on the balcony with drinks in their hands, milling about and talking to each other, enjoying the night air. A young woman who looked about twenty years old noticed Pepper and went over to her, tapping her on the shoulder saying,

"Excuse me? Are you looking for somebody?"

Pepper turned around and sighed, looking at the young woman. She couldn't have been old enough or rich enough to make a donation herself. She looked familiar though… Aha. She was Harold Fuller's daughter. Pepper was getting better at putting faces to names, and tried to memorize who everybody was.

"Yeah…" she said, and bit the bullet, "have you seen Tony Stark?"

"Seen Tony Stark?" the young woman breathed, "Oh I've seen him. The man is gorgeous! I mean when he did that photoshoot-"

"N-no," Pepper cut in, "he's my boss. I've lost him here in the crowd."

"Oh," she said, and instantly got a condescending look on her face, "Well I'm sure I could help you find him if you need the help…"

A crash came from inside the banquet hall and Pepper whipped her head around to see Tony running through the crowd, crashing over a table with a yelled, "Yikes!" and three tall men in tuxedos chasing him across the room. There were stifled gasps from all the people in the room.

Pepper set her jaw.

"I'm going to kill him," she muttered, and leaving the young billionairess on the balcony stalked as fast as her heels would let her back into the banquet hall, through the crowd of people, and towards the door Tony ran through, with the guys hot in pursuit. The shocked people were too busy picking up the table and broken glassware from the floor to care that she followed them. It was a door to a back concrete stairwell that spoke for the age of the building.

"For the last time, I did not steal anything! I don't even have cash in my pockets!" Tony yelled, and Pepper hitched up the hem of her ballgown, going down the stairs as fast as she could.

Two flights of stairs downward and another door which Tony and his pursuers had just slammed through appeared in front of her. Pepper flung it open and ran out onto the gravel walk. They were nowhere to be found, but the sound of footsteps on gravel alerted her that they must have gone to the left, so she ran around the side of the building. She rounded the corner and just as she did a dark shape of a man stepped out of the shadow of the building and jumped in front of her.

"Ah!" she suppressed a shriek.

"No, no, no, shh it's just me, Pepper!" Tony lunged forwards and covered Pepper's mouth with his hand stop her making any noise, pulling her lopsidedly back and down behind a bush to hide against the wall of the building. Pepper pulled his hand off her mouth.

"Tony!" she hissed back. "WHAT. IS GOING ON?"

Tony was breathing heavily, leaning back against the wall, looking in either direction to see if he was being followed. Pepper looked over the top of the bush to see some of the men off on the other side of the lawn nearing a grove of pine trees. They called to one another, and then turned around, looking in their direction.

"Get down!" Tony hissed, and pushed her head down behind the bush, curling himself down into a crouch that looked like he was trying to make himself into a ball, but keeping his hand on Pepper's head.

The men started going in the opposite direction, and within moments, as Pepper and Tony both held their breath and stayed still behind the bushes, they were on the gravel walk, close enough to hear a whisper if either of them were to make a noise.

Pepper let out her breath as silently as she could and tried to remove a twig from the bush that was currently poking her in the cheek. She had no idea why the men thought that Tony had stolen, and why they felt the need to chase him, but as soon as she heard the clicking of a gun being cocked, fear filled her. Oh gosh. They had guns. Were they going to shoot Tony? Would the shoot her? She froze with her hand on the stick, trying to keep it from jabbing her painfully in the face, but fearing it would crack and alert the men with the guns as to their location. Tony still kept his hand on her head to keep her down, but as if sensing her movement, and her fear, he stroked the back of her head with his thumb a few times, through her hair, and Pepper stilled. Stroking her hair wasn't like Tony Stark. Or it was, but not with her. She adjusted the stick to where it was under her chin instead, and kept quiet, and as calm as possible.

"Where'd he go? The boss is going to come down hard on us if we don't get him!"

"I don't know! YOU said he ran for the trees. But he didn't. So I don't know where he is."

"We have to get those missile plans."

"I know that, idiot!"

Missle plans? What missle plans? Perhaps they weren't following Tony for stealing after all… unless of course, he stole the missile plans.

"He could have slipped back inside," said one of the men.

"Ok, you take the left wing, I'll take the right wing. We'll meet back here. And message me on the walkie-talkie if you get anything."

"Got it," said the other one, and the two walked back towards the building.

Both Tony and Pepper let out the breath they'd been holding and sat up after the men had retreated inside.

"Tony, what the heck just happened?"

"I stole some missle plans. Ran into an old 'pal' from college. He's one of the people Stark Industries had been trying to track… I'm suspecting he's involved in terrorism. So um… I stole his floppy disk out of his pocket, and ran." Tony took a floppy disk out of his pocket and held it up to show her.

"And then he sent gunmen after you?" Pepper's tried to keep her voice down, but she couldn't keep the edge of panic out of her tone.

"Pepper, relax, it's fine. I got away. Now all I need to do is find Happy… I left my cell phone in the car. From there I can phone some people to go after the gunmen. And the police, to arrest Fuller."

"Harold Fuller?"

"Yeah. That's the one."

"Oh. Hm," Pepper said.

"What? Do you know him?"

"No, but I met his daughter just a few moments ago."

"Ah. I know the one you mean. Did she say anything about me?" Tony asked, in a teasing tone, extending his hand out to Pepper to help her stand up.

"Oh shut your face, Mr. Full-of-Himself," Pepper teased back.

Tony giggled.

"What? Am I not allowed to enquire as to whether or not the daughter of my possible enemy thinks I'm hot?"

"Stop it. You're such a child!" Pepper said and smacked his arm lightly as they walked towards the front of the banquet hall, and towards the parking lot, where they knew Happy would be waiting. They made a point of staying out of the light as much as possible.

"Am I?" Tony asked, "Well, that's why I have you. To remind me of it."

"Oh, I will," Pepper said, as they spotted the car.

"Don't I know it," Tony said back, the same teasing tone in his voice.

"Shut up, Tony," Pepper replied, and Tony did, but not before sticking his tongue out at her, briefly, at which Pepper couldn't help but laugh.

* * *

Chapter 6 will come soon, hopefully later today, but if not, sometime tomorrow.


	6. Chapter 6

Right guys, sorry this is later than I thought it would be. I sort of went with my friend and watched the Avengers for the second time in IMAX tonight. PRIORITIES. But then I went home after the awesomeness that was seeing the Avengers in IMAX again and worked on the rest of this because I was eager to post it tonight. You cannot say I do not have dedication. Especially since your reviews have all been so lovely and positive! I appreciate that a lot guys! And honestly, I'm shocked at the number of people who actually like this story. It was meant to be a oneshot, but then it turned into this longer thing. I'm going to try and finish it in the next 2-ish chapters or so. Though, if you all like it well enough, I may be persuaded to write a sequel.

Also, this chapter is a bit longer, as per request. However, shorter chapters means quicker updates. I would like you to keep this in mind. :P

Either way, tomorrow morning is my last Monday morning of high school ever. YAY last week of school. YAY graduation! Since it's my last week of school, we're going to have to see how it goes with updating quickly. I shall try to upload the next bit soon. After I write it. It's 1.30 AM and I'm rambling. On with chapter 6!

* * *

**Brotherly Love**

**Chapter 6**

After they'd walked to the car, phoned the police, and Tony'd walked back into the banquet hall, strode up to the podium and announced to the world, much to Pepper's horror, "I AM NOT A THEIF!", - there had been a significant kerfuffle with the leaders on the hospital board, some well-meaning but thoroughly bothersome guests at the event, and surprise! A journalist who showed up to take pictures of the event. Eventually though, The gunmen who had been chasing Tony were located and arrested, Harold Fuller was quietly whisked away, and Tony secured the missile plans safely with Happy in the glovebox of the car. At the end of the night Tony and Pepper slipped back into the car with exhausted sighs, and Happy set out to drive them on the hour long drive back home.

"Well," Tony said, "that was interesting."  
Pepper fixed him with a glare that said she was not amused, and they had a stare off. Pepper said, none too kindly,  
"My face still hurts from that stick, Tony," and rubbed her cheek. She tried to keep a straight face for added impact but then the car hit a pothole which jerked both of them in their seats to the side. Then the little barrier was broken and both of them dissolved into laughter. Perhaps it was from exhaustion, or perhaps it was from the stress of the event, or perhaps it was just the fact that laughing made them feel better. Either way, Pepper felt a bit of a weight lifted off her shoulders.

"See, that's why I need you to go to parties with me," Tony said.

"Tony, I didn't actually _do_ anything except chase you around as you ran away from gunmen. Tell me every party you want to go to isn't going to end up like this?"

"No, I- well… Oh come on!" Tony stuttered for a moment, "I own a weapons manufacturing company. There's bound to be a bit of running and a bit of danger involved. Besides, don't you like the adrenaline rush? I like the adrenaline rush."

"I like relaxing Sunday evenings and if I must work, I'd rather be working in a calm, quiet office."

"But that's boring!" Tony said, with a bit of a whine in his voice.

"Perhaps for you, Pepper countered, and yawned.

Yawns are contagious, and soon Tony yawned too.

"I'm tired," he stated.

"It's no wonder," Pepper replied, and looked over at him, the glow of the lights on the highway flickering over his face. He did look incredibly drained. But there was something else there. Something behind his eyes that she couldn't quite trace. She didn't know him well enough yet. She wasn't sure she ever would.

Tony glanced at her for a moment and then looked out the window, leaning his head on the glass. He sighed.

"Tony…" Pepper began, not quite sure where she was going with her sentence.

"Yes?" he replied, after a long moment in which she wondered if he was too tired to reply at all.

"Did… did you invite me here to go to this benefit because you were bored?"

"Nngh," Tony grunted, pushing himself up off the window where he was quickly falling asleep. "No," he said.

"Tony," Pepper pressed.

Tony rubbed at his eyes and then looked over at her.

"Pepper… I think that I… well… what I'm saying is that… er well…" he paused and took a breath. Pepper could have sworn he sounded vulnerable, and awkward. Which is something she didn't think Tony was quite capable of. Awkward vulnerableness. But then, as the days passed, and she saw more of Tony, and he of her, she was beginning to wonder about him. "Do you have any friends?" he said.

"Of course I have friends! I mean there are plenty of people who I see from work and there's girls in marketing that I-"

"No – I mean friends. I don't mean people that you work with. Or that you're paid to hang out with. Like, real friends."

He sounded small. And she didn't know why, but a pain sort of rose up in her chest for him. It circumvented her brain, and went straight to her lungs, as her breathing tightened. He sounded sad. He sounded lonely. Pepper responded,

"I…"

This wasn't the first time that Tony had asked her personal questions. Asking people personal questions was his specialty. The pointed off-hand comment. The one that left the ball in the other player's court to see what they'd do with it. Tony asked questions, and she gave him answers. Sometimes she brushed him off. Most times actually. And she figured he appreciated that, even if she didn't say it, because he needed somebody who wouldn't be fazed by him. He had control over most everything and everyone he could ever wish to control. Too many people would be affected by the charm and charisma and slight inappropriateness (sometimes not even slight) of his personal questions, and to him that meant it was already a battle lost. Pepper had watched it over and over again with Tony. He was searching for something, or someone, that didn't leave him with all the control. Pepper was beginning to learn that there was a sense of satisfaction that came off Tony when he realized she wasn't affected by his prying. At least there was a straight shooter in his life who could teach him what was and wasn't ok to talk about.

But this wasn't exactly like those other times. This wasn't a, 'do you have friends? Because could you be more of a dork?' type of question. It wasn't a, 'hey what do you do in your free time because you look like you don't have much of a social life and I could fix that' sort of statement. It was a genuine question, from someone, who, despite the night's success, sounded very lost.

Pepper told the truth.

"No. I don't. I don't have friends. Not the kind you mean," Pepper said. _All I have is Michael_, she mentally added, but again, refrained from talking about the one important thing she kept secret from Tony Stark. The one person she could trust with her secrets that wasn't a AI computer built into the house.

"Then… then you'll understand," Tony said and looked over at her sitting opposite him in the car. His eyes, even in the darkness, told her more than she needed to understand.

Pepper blinked, a sad, compassionate blink. The kind that left her eyes somewhat damp and her brow furrowed with concern. It surprised her. That she could feel such pain for a person she barely comprehended. Because that's what he was. He was completely different from her, with a completely different background, upbringing, and lifestyle. Yet somehow something broke within her, and she realized that she and Tony were the same. At least in some ways. In the ways that counted.

Pepper nodded.

"I understand."

* * *

The following morning it had taken a bit to get Tony Stark out the door and to his meetings on time. Pepper had to poke him and prod him to get him to go anywhere without being distracted by some science-y book that he was reading and some calculations he'd gotten up to work on early in the morning, down in his workshop. On any other morning she would have gladly let him banter on to her about his ideas and listened as he let his inner science geek out, even if she didn't understand most of it, but honestly, his mind that managed to go in all directions at once except the one it needed to go in was infuriating sometimes, and by the time she managed to push him into the sedan, she was already in a bit of a huff.

"Happy, please drive," she said.

"Sure thing!" Happy replied, and stepped on it.

"Happy, we're going to take a detour," Tony announced three minutes later.

"No we're not," Pepper said, in a tone that said, he was going to get to that meeting on time and that was final.

"Yes we are. Get off exit 21. I need Burger King. What's on their breakfast menu?"

"No, Tony, we can't stand the board of directors up like this! No detours. And _no food_!"

"Yes we are! I didn't eat breakfast!"

"I told you three times!" Pepper exclaimed.

"Well, I forgot!" Tony half-yelled back at her.

"How could you forget to eat breakfast?"

"Pepper, I was in the middle of calculating the new schematics of the missile launcher. FOR this meeting, actually."

"Three times, Tony. Three."

"Happy, again, what's on the Burger King breakfast menu?" Tony ignored her.

"Um, sausage, eggs… Egg McMuffins…"

"I said Burger King, not McDonalds."

"I know, that's where I'm going."

"You know what, forget it. I want a hamburger," Tony announced.

"At Burger King?" Happy asked.

"Yes."

Pepper rolled her eyes and pulled out her little notebook and began adjusting her schedule based on the time they were losing with the trip to Burger King.

Ten minutes later, Pepper was sitting across from Tony, who was eating a double cheeseburger with a bottle of coke and a large fry.

"Stop watching me eat, Potts, it's making me nervous," Tony said, through a bite of cheeseburger.

"You _ought_ to be nervous, Tony. This is only the biggest board meeting we've had all year long."

"I know!" Tony protested. "Look, you can have some of my French fries if it bothers you that much." He held out his fries to Pepper to take, but she declined.

"I already brushed my teeth," she said.

"Pepper, did you seriously just deny French fries from one Tony Stark? You know there's millions of people who would jump at the opportunity to eat Tony Stark's French fries?"

"Not millions," Pepper said, with a longsuffering look.

"Thousands, then."

Happy chuckled in the front seat.

"Ok, so not thousands. But a lot. A lot of people would want to share my French fries."

"Anthony Stark, we are about to go into the quarterly board meeting. I expect you to clean the pickle out from between your teeth, have a few tic tacs, and go in and act like an adult capable of being the head of Stark Industries, a multi-billion dollar company and the leader in weapons manufacturing for the United States government and other private agencies. Is that understood?"

"Yes Mom."

Pepper rolled her eyes again, and Tony chowed down on his cheeseburger.

"Hey, Potts, how do you feel about modern art?" Tony asked.

Pepper looked up from her notepad,

"Modern art? It's fantastic. I love it," she said, with genuine enthusiasm.

"Yeah? I was thinking of going after the meetings today and looking at an auction or two. I don't know, it might be possible to find a few things for my collection. What do think?"

"Weird time to bring up modern art… why do mention it?"

"I don't know, I just thought it was something we should do."

"By we, do you mean me?"

"No, I mean you can do it and I can help and pick out pictures I like."

Pepper broke a smile and laughed for a moment.

"Sometimes you're like a… a five year old with a box of crayons."

"It's your job to make sure I don't color on the walls, Pepper," Tony said, giving her a cheeky look with a mischievous sparkle in his eyes.

"Hm… where exactly are you going with that analogy, Tony?"

"Um, I don't know," Tony said.

"Boss, we're here," Happy said.

"Right. Thanks, Hap!" Tony said, as the car pulled to a stop. Pepper and Tony both got out of the car.

"Remember what I said about not having friends, Pepper?" Tony asked.

Pepper looked at him, a thoughtful look in her eyes.

"Yes?"

"You can count my sudden modern art inklings as one of those things that has to do with that."

"Ah," Pepper said, and reached over to brush some crumbs off Tony's suit jacket.

"If you do well in your meeting we'll see about the modern art hunting. Deal, Mr. Stark?"

"Deal, Miss Potts," Tony said, and grinned.

* * *

A/N: Still not sure about that chapter's ending. Ah well. Next chapter is the one that contains the moment that inspired me to write this in the first place. So hopefully that has a better ending than this one. :P


	7. Chapter 7

Because I'm awesome like this, you get one extremely short chapter before I hit you with the bombshell at the end. So. Yeah. Enjoy this one. :P

* * *

**Brotherly Love**

**Chatper 7**

It was an awkward sort of dance, that began, she decided, finally – their weekends. Sometimes on weekends there were parties and excitement and a fair bit of running around and a bit of stress. Other times there was sleep, and rest, and exhaustion. At other times, there was seriousness, and work, and no-nonsense. Then others there were modern art auctions, and walks at the beach and discussions about anything and everything that Pepper wasn't quite sure she was paid to have with Tony, but that happened anyway. Still other weekends there were nerdy marathons of sci-fi shows, and popcorn and chips, and enthusiasm for science and discussions of childhood.

On some weekends it seemed that Pepper's job was to be Tony's friend. On other weekends it seemed it was her job to be his enemy and make him do as he was told for the good of himself and others. On the weekends she spent with Michael, she would talk of her job, and the different things she liked, and the things she didn't.

"What do you think it is, that makes this job different, Pepper?" Michael asked.

"I don't know. It's… it's unpredictable. And I work with good people. I get to take care of things. I guess I like that," she told him.

"I think you do. And I think you care about Tony," Michael said.

"Well… yeah. But not in that way," Pepper said, avoiding Michael's eyes.

"If it wasn't in that way, I don't think you'd have to specify," Michael pressed, looking for her to say something more about her opinions on Tony and her job.

"I have a unique job, Michael, working for a very unique man."

"I know," Michael paused and looked at Pepper, as they sat next to each other on the couch. "Look… I know I'm younger than you. And I know you never felt… worth it, after the accident. I mean, we were so alone, but you held us together. You got us through everything, Pepper. Through all the different places we lived, and the people we met. I know you remember more about Mom and Dad than I do even. You have memories about what it is to feel wanted by parents, but like… I don't exactly remember having that fully. So I definitely owe you. Because you made me feel like I'm wanted."

Pepper felt tears pricking at her eyes.

"Michael… what's brought this on?"

"Nothing it's just…" Michael shrugged, and gave a shy smile. "Would it be overboard to say that this is the first time I think you've felt wanted since… since Mom and Dad died? Pepper, you're amazing at holding things together. And taking care of people. You care about them. You look after them. You look after me, and now you look after Tony Stark. You make us feel needed. But this is the first time I've seen you look like you're actually happy in the same way that you make others feel. I mean, I think this job is exciting for you. And that's a good thing. You've always liked adventure, and now you have it. I don't know what I'm saying really…"

Michael looked away, and by his body language Pepper could tell he felt awkward about what he'd admitted. But Pepper turned toward him and gave him a hug, saying,

"Thank you. Yes. You're right."

Michael hugged her back.

"I guess I… just. Don't be afraid, Pepper. Everybody needs somebody. Don't be afraid to care."

Pepper squeezed him round the shoulders just a bit tighter. After a moment she said,

"No. I won't be."

She pulled back and looked him in the eyes. Michael's eyes said, "I care about you too," and Pepper understood, quite possibly for the first time, the value of caring. The value of family. And she understood exactly why she was never going to leave Michael, and why she was never going to leave Tony Stark.

* * *

A/N: I understand this wasn't really long enough to be a full chapter. But the next one shall be long, with the ACTUAL event that inspired the story, so hopefully I'll get that up later tonight, or tomorrow.

Reviews are appreciated! :)


	8. Chapter 8

Right then. Lest you all think I was writing a fluff fic... THIS is what I was planning all along. Lots and lots of lovely angst for you. This is actually the initial scene I started out with in my head, and then I built the rest of the fic off of that. Not even sorry. :P I hope you all like it - feedback, especially on this chapter is much appreciated. I have a feeling I'll be finishing it in the next chapter... we'll see how it goes.

Also, you'll be pleased! This is like four times the length of my last chapter. :D

* * *

**Brotherly Love**

**Chapter 8**

The call came at 4:53 in the afternoon. Pepper knew the exact time, because that's when her phone vibrated in her pocket. Pepper felt it buzz and took it out of her pocket, meaning to check who it was then replace it back in her pocket. She was sitting at a long table surrounded by important men in an important meeting. She was sitting on the right side of the table, three seats away from Tony, who sat at the head of the table.

Tony had provided her the best phone when she came to work for him. It had caller ID, touchscreen… it was ahead of its time. The caller ID read that it was the hospital's emergency room.

"Excuse me," she interrupted, standing up, "I'm going to step out into the hall and take this call. Be right back."

The rest of the people in the meeting all said their ok's, but Pepper felt Tony's gaze following her as she stood and went into the hallway. He knew something was up.

Pepper shut the door and took a breath as her phone vibrated in her hand. Then she picked up.

"Miss Potts? This is St. Mary's Hospital in Malibu."

"Yes?" Pepper replied.

"There's been an accident."

* * *

Pepper walked back into the room and sat back down at her chair. To everyone else in the room, she looked just fine. But Tony had known her long enough to pick up on when things were wrong. And he'd never seen her like this.

Pepper's hands trembled just slightly. He watched her grip her phone tight before slipping it back into her pocket and sitting down in the rolling chair, scooting in to the table. She exhaled, keeping her gaze trained on the papers in the folder in front of her. But the unsteady rise and fall of her chest spoke of strained breathing and fear. Her nostrils flared and her lip trembled, only the faintest bit.

Tony kept talking, in the middle of his sentence, but he watched Pepper and paused midstream when she lifted her head to look at him. It was about the scariest thing he'd ever seen. In her eyes, he saw pure, unadulterated terror. Fear, in its rawest form.

He looked back, confused, concerned, and scared all at once. Something had to have happened. Something huge.

"Mr. Stark?" the man on his right said, as the rest of the people at the table looked at them with bemusement.

Tony stood up.

"Um. Sorry. Something has come up, and this meeting is going to have to postponed until a later date, yet to be decided."

Everybody started talking at once, the various important board members and advisors all utterly confused. Pepper avoided looking at anyone.

"Everybody get out of my office now!" he yelled over their noise. The command in his tone of voice was enough to know that he meant what he said, and silenced, they grabbed their folders and filed out of the room. Pepper watched as they left through the doors, some of them looking confused, some of them looking properly angry.

It wasn't until the last of them left the room, and the door shut that the stormy look disappeared off Tony's face to be replaced with one of worry and compassion. Pepper stood up and he instantly went to her, taking her by the shoulders and saying,

"What is it? Pepper, what happened? Who was on the phone? What's the matter?"

Pepper couldn't recall when she'd last heard his voice so filled with concern. She took a shaky breath, and struggled beneath the warmth of Tony's hands on her arms not to let everything out right then and there.

"I can't. Not… not here. We need to go home, Tony. Now. We need to go home now."

"Back to the mansion you mean?" Tony didn't ask why she suddenly referred to his home as her own, although she spent most of her life there anyway, so in a way it was sort of her home too.

"Yeah," Pepper said, and looked straight at him.

Tony had never seen her more afraid. He'd never been so scared of what she was going to say.

"Ok, not a problem. We'll go now. Come on," he said, and as if sensing she needed the extra support, turned and placed a hand on the small of her back to guide her to the door. Pepper didn't say anything. Nothing at all. They went out the hall past people who looked at them quizzically, all of whom they ignored, and to the elevator. The ride down seemed to take ages, and the tension was so thick you could almost cut it with a knife. Pepper was building up her fortress. She was constructing her walls. But Tony couldn't guess how long it would be before her tower arrived at the inevitable collapse.

Happy was there, with the car. It was simple, easy. They'd done it a thousand times. They slipped into the car. They drove home. Pepper was so distant it almost hurt. No, actually. It did hurt, Tony decided, as he stared at her sitting across from him. She looked so cold.

"Pepper," he said, barely more than a whisper. "What happened?"

"We're not home yet, Tony," she replied, with a sense of calm that was… too calm. It was like the calm before the storm. "I'll tell you then," she said, but it did nothing to stop Tony from boring holes into her with his gaze.

Closer. Closer. The clock ticked on. It was the longest car ride Tony had been on to date.

It was already getting dark out, and by the time they reached the house it was too dark for Tony to see Pepper's face. Happy dropped them off at the garage, and Tony helped Pepper out of the car. It was like dealing with an automaton. Every movement was stiff and calculated. Professional.

He went to put his hand on her shoulder as some sort of comfort, but she shrugged him off, as the garage opened and Happy drove the car off to the other garage further down on the property.

"Inside," Pepper said, and went through to the garage and the door to the workshop as Tony followed.

"Jarvis – lights," Tony said as they walked into the workshop. Pepper went and stood sort of in the middle of the room, closer to the couch than anything.

Tony stood before her, and made her look at him.

"Can you tell me now?" he asked, almost pleading with her.

Pepper looked away, her face twisting into a mask of grief. She let out a broken sob and clutched her arms around her waist, finally letting everything snap and the tears come. Tony stepped forward, as if afraid she might break, and said, this time for forcefully,

"Pepper, _you need to tell me_."

"It's Michael," she sobbed, and her voice hitched, "he's my brother. And I just… he's dead. Tony, he's dead." All control seemed to be lost to her, and she almost fell forward as she hung her head – letting her forehead rest against Tony's shoulder in a desperate way that told him she would break if he didn't hang onto her. "He's dead, he's dead, he's dead, he's dead," Pepper wept.

Tony wrapped his arms around her in an awkward, supportive way. It shook him to his core to see her like this.

"Pepper, you didn't tell me you had a brother."

"I know," she said, and shuddered, "I didn't think I needed to. He was… ugh, he was the one thing I had. Tony… I… I can't."

She'd never lost control before in her life. There were times she felt that she might. Times she felt scared she would. But now, this was what it felt like to be helpless. She had nothing. No one. She cried, and for once didn't care that it was into her boss's shoulder as he guided her over to sit on the couch. She didn't care when he reached down to help her take off her heels, which had been giving her loads of pain all day long. And she didn't care when she couldn't hold back her raw emotion and wept.

Tony sat down in front of her, on the coffee table, with his too long legs bumping into hers as she sat half hunched over on the couch, gasping for air and sobbing. He watched her suffering, and it hurt him. It hurt him too much. More than it should have, but he didn't care, because the only thing he wanted to do was make it better, but he knew that was the one thing he could never do. He knew from personal experience.

Instead, he simply reached out and took her hands in his and sat there with her until her weeping subsided and instead, hot, silent tears streamed down her cheeks and fell in droplets to her dress slacks.

"Do… do you want a drink?" he asked, in a moment of silence, between Pepper's hiccupping breaths that were half sobs.

"I would like a pint of tea, please. Earl Grey. Just…"

"I'll get it for you," he said, and stood, going to his kitchenette to run the tea machine which had already been heating the water for freshly brewed tea or coffee. He made pints, one in each cup – for her, and for him. They were steaming when he set his down on a coaster on the coffee table, and handed the other one to Pepper, putting it into her hands and waiting just a little bit too long before letting go of the handle, afraid she might drop it.

"Do you have a straw, Tony?" she asked. "I like to keep my teeth white."

Tony would have chuckled, but he knew this was the worst time to do that.

"Sure," he said, gently, and went over to the cabinet to get a straw out of a box. He handed it to her – a white straw with blue stripes.

"Blue… blue was his favorite color," Pepper said.

"Pepper… how?" Tony asked, thinking she might be able to finally speak about what happened.

"The hospital called… in the middle of the meeting. I don't know, something told me I should pick it up. So did. And there was… a doctor on the other end of the line. He said… he said that there had been a motorcycle accident. Michael had just gotten a motorcycle this year…" Pepper paused and swallowed, holding in a sob, then drew the straw to her lips and took a few sips of the hot tea. She paused after she swallowed, breathing heavily and holding onto the mug too tight, as if she were afraid its warmth would leave her.

"They said it wasn't anybody's fault. There was this intersection, with another car and a pothole and the car swung and hit him. And there was a telephone pole. It… would have been instant."

Pepper stayed with her elbows on her knees, and drank a few more sips of her tea. Tony watched her and listened, never feeling more compassion for anyone than he felt at that moment.

"When I was young, my parents died in a car accident. Michael was seven. I was thirteen. We… had nothing and nobody left, so they sent us into foster care. It wasn't all that bad. The people weren't terrible to us. But they didn't…"

"Love you. They didn't love you," Tony concluded, taking a long, deep breath, and reached forward after taking a sip of his own tea to take the mug out of Pepper's hands and hold them in his own instead.

"I mean, they couldn't. It's not as if I blame them… They just weren't Mom and Dad," Pepper said, a great sadness and longing in her voice. "After… after they died I promised myself I'd take care of Michael. I'd hold us together. I'd put him through college, which I did. He was brilliant, Tony. You would have loved him. He…"

Tony rubbed his thumb over the back of Pepper's hand, giving his silent support.

"You remind me of him," Pepper stated. "The way you talk about science, and your enthusiasm for everything, and how you love Burger King, and the way you smile when you've made a new discovery when you're working on a project. And that's why I never spoke of him. I didn't want you to know how much I…" the word 'cared' hung in the air. "He was all I had left, Tony. I have nobody, without him."

"I know," Tony said, and he hoped she understood that he didn't just mean that he'd heard what she said. "My parents died when I was seventeen. It was a car accident," he said, realizing the dry irony of it. "I was left entirely alone… it… it was the worst thing."

Pepper looked to meet his eyes, and it shook him to realize that even in her grief she clearly felt compassion for him.

"What did you do?" she asked.

"I… drank. I drank a lot. And I am ashamed of it, most times," he looked away from her and to his mug on the coffee table. "I wanted to die because there was nothing left. Nobody who cared." His voice was impossibly quiet. "But that wasn't the path for me. It's not the path for anybody," he said.

Silent sobs wracked Pepper's body, and she took her hands out of Tony's to bury her face in her palms. His heart broke for her. His heart broke for the injustice done against her. That this woman who was so kind, responsible, and who took care of everybody else could have so much taken away from her. In ways, he felt like he was a jerk enough to deserve what had happened to him. And losing his parents had made him the person who he was. It had scarred him, but at least it helped him realize that he had to take some responsibility for his life. But Pepper… she didn't deserve any of it. She already took responsibility for her life, and the lives of many others, including his own.

"But you're… you're not alone," he said, and scooted forward to wrap his arms around her and bring her head to his chest. It was weird, and strange, and awkward all at the same time, but it was exactly what both of them needed, and indeed what Tony had been craving ever since she'd gotten the phone call. He had to do something to help. He felt tears brimming at his own eyes and slipping down his cheeks. All of the pain he felt when he was seventeen came rushing back to him. The anger. The hatred. The anguish. But most of all the intense feeling of loneliness. He held Pepper to him and for once he felt that they didn't care if she worked for him and he was her boss. There was no need for lines and boundaries.

"No, I am… I" Pepper started, but Tony broke in with a solid,

"_No_. You are _not_ alone. I won't let you be alone."

Tony wondered where he got the right to make promises like that. Actually, he didn't think he'd ever acquired that right. The only thing he knew was that his heart once craved to hear all those things, when he had been orphaned and alone, and he knew he had to say them now. And it was a promise. It was the only promise he could give.

Pepper cried, and she pulled away from him. Now it was more like lonely, destitute tears streamed down her face.

_I must not kiss her_, he thought, as he watched the sad beauty of it. He watched as she looked across at him, and was unable to tear his gaze away. He looked as a tear fell and dripped down her cheek and he thought her breaking heart had never been so beautiful.

And then it was too late, and his hands were in her hair, and he had pressed his gentle lips to her cheek, and her eyelids and her forehead, and every place there was a tear. She went still as he brushed his thumb over her cheek and pulled away from her to look into her eyes to whisper,

"I just want to make it better."

And then his lips were on hers, and they drew from a comfort that they weren't entirely sure how to give. It was strange, and desperate, and slow and a million kinds of wrong but Pepper's heart seemed to cry out for him and his for hers.

Time slowed its motion, and when finally both were silent, there was a companionable togetherness that neither were willing to give up quite yet.

Pepper was afraid to speak. She wasn't sure she would be able to formulate words. But eventually she did say,

"I don't know how I'm going to be able to wake up every morning and know he's not there. What… what do people do when they're like this?"

"I don't know," Tony replied, resting his forehead against hers. "I… I learned to work. I threw myself into my projects, and whatever I could find really. Sometimes the best thing is to have a job that keeps you busy. It keeps you from having to think about things so that when you do face them, they're not so bad."

Pepper shut her eyes, breathed deep, and reached for his hand. Tony's fingers curled around her own, and for the first time, she realized that her job was a person. Her job was Tony Stark. She wasn't sure what that meant, just as she wasn't sure why she referred to the Stark Mansion as home, earlier. But she knew she needed something, or… someone.

"I will be here," Tony whispered. It almost wasn't a full sentence. It was a statement left to the wind, which took it and blew it away almost as if it had never been said at all. But Pepper heard it, and she grabbed onto it, and she held on with both her hands, and her heart.

Tony pulled away and leaned over to beside the giant couch which Pepper sat on. He grabbed a soft quilt which had been folded there and motioned for Pepper to stand up. He then drew her down next to him as he lay down on the couch, and brought the quilt over them as he wrapped her in his arms.

"Thank you, Mr. Stark," Pepper said, quietly, as she let the worries about everything that happened, and everything they were doing fade from her mind. She understood that she was terrified to care. Terrified to care this much, rather. But Michael told her to not be afraid, and so she would fight that fear with everything in her. She let her head rest upon Tony's chest and tried to forget her fear, and when he said,

"Anytime, Miss Potts. Anytime at all," she felt the last vestiges of her anxiety fading away, to be replaced with the warmth of human companionship, the smell of cologne, and laundry detergent on Tony's clothes, the gentle rise and fall of his chest, and the steady, solid beat of his heart beneath her ear.

* * *

A/N: I may or may not be begging for reviews on this.


	9. Chapter 9

This is terribly late. I do apologize. I went to Maine for most of this week and then upon my return I have had ridiculous amounts of music practice because I'm a musician and I have a solo concert coming up next week. So it's all been a bit mental. I am trying to finish this up for you though, which is good. I've sort of been stunned by your reviews. I had no idea this would be so well received or that I'd actually make people cry with it. XD It must be better than I thought! I'm thinking of adding an epilogue after this. If you are interested, I may begin a sequel, however. I would need reviews for that to happen though. :P

* * *

**Brotherly Love**

**Chapter 9**

When Pepper awoke, she lay very still. She was awake before she opened her eyes, but she consciously kept them shut. She knew exactly where she was – it hadn't taken her long at all to figure it out. She was lying on Tony Stark's chest. And her brother Michael had died the night before.

Pepper concentrated on breathing. It seemed to be the only thing she could do at the moment. She needed to breathe and keep her eyes shut until she could figure out how she was going to face the world. How she was going to face what had happened.

She fought the urge to sit up, open her eyes, and rub her temples. She was always under the impression that when something big and meaningful and life-altering happened like a death, and you woke up in a strange place, that you wouldn't be able to figure out where you were or remember what happened for a bit. But in fact, this wasn't true. She woke up and the events of the previous night were clearly cemented in her brain.

Tony shifted beneath her, and she could sense that he was waking up too. He grunted a little bit then said, his voice clouded with sleep,

"Jarvis? Time?"

"The time is 7:23, Sir," Jarvis said, softer than he usually did.

"Got it," Tony replied, and brought his left hand up to Pepper's shoulder, shaking her a little bit to wake her up. "Pepper?"

Pepper opened her eyes, to be greeted with dim lighting that Jarvis must have put on, and the white of Tony's shirt. She sat up slowly, careful not to hurt him as she moved off of him and to the end of the couch.

Tony sat up and swung his legs to the floor, then shook his head as if he felt groggy.

Pepper looked at him for a moment as he did so then turned to locate her shoes, which were over to the side.

She stood and smoothed her clothes out, then grabbed her heels, sitting down on the couch again the put them on. Both she and Tony were silent. When she finished, she stood up, as did Tony.

"Be honest." Tony said, smiling, "How bad is my hair?"

Pepper let out a dull laugh, not entirely devoid of amusement, but still a very tired sound, and said,

"Not as bad as it's been before."

"Ok then," he said with a small smirk, but then he fell serious again. Pepper knew she had to say something. Anything. It was so awkward.

There was silence, and Pepper scratched the bridge of her nose while Tony fidgeted with a button on his shirt.

"I'm just going to uh," she gestured towards the bathroom.

"Oh yeah, sure," Tony said, and Pepper nodded, and went to the bathroom.

She sighed, and looked at herself in the mirror. Her face looked haggard, with her makeup smeared all over the place, and her hair practically trying to form a rat's nest. Knowing exactly where the washcloths were kept in the cabinet, for when Tony needed to wash up after he'd been working a lot on the cars or other things he tinkered with in the workshop, she washed her face and found a comb, with which she managed to make her hair at least mildly presentable.

When she came out, Tony turned from the computer to give her a brief smile. She smiled back, but could sense the forcedness of everything.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"I'm cancelling all of the appointments for the next week," Tony replied.

"Wait! You can't do that though!" Pepper said, walking over to the computer to look at the screen.

"No you're not!" Pepper said and went over to look at a computer screen just as Tony pressed send on an email that presumably informed all parties that Pepper Potts would be out of the office due to a family emergency, and that all complaints could be addressed to PR.

"Yes I am," Tony said, and looked up at Pepper from his swivel chair. Pepper could see a quiet insistence in his eyes that surprised her. "Pepper, you need some time. To... rest, if anything," he began.

"No, I'm sure I can keep doing the work if you just - I mean there's no point in you and the company losing time over me."

Tony stood up and put his hands on either side of her shoulders,

"Pepper Potts, I am your boss and you will do as I say."

Pepper took a deep breath.

"Ok?" Tony asked.

"Ok," Pepper said.

"Do you want breakfast?" Tony asked.

"Um, I should probably go home."

"Why?" Tony asked, like staying for breakfast would be the most logical thing to do in the world.

"Well I just- I think I need... Well I don't want to..."

"I don't mind if you stay," Tony said. Pepper noticed that he had kept his hands on her shoulders. One part of her was screaming that she was in a compromising position. To get out. To leave - to retreat to safety of solitude. But the other side of her - the side ruled by her heart and not her head said that Tony's comforting touch was the most human and the most natural thing ever. That side pleaded with her to stay - along with Tony's eyes. That man. He was persistent, in a sort of manner Pepper knew he possessed, but hadn't expected him to employ. In the end, it was two against one - Tony's eyes and his comfort and her heart against her muddled brain which struggled to comprehend everything. Oh, and also her stomach.

"Alright, I'll stay for breakfast," she said.

* * *

But she stayed longer than breakfast. Tony ushered her upstairs to one of the guest bedrooms he'd long discovered she hid some spare clothes in for when she'd been working overtime at the mansion. Pepper didn't ask how he found out and for that matter she really didn't mind – it was his house after all. She showered, dried her hair, and changed into jeans and a longsleeved blue shirt. When she was done she went back downstairs, and upon seeing that Tony wasn't downstairs, she proceeded to the workshop, where she found him sitting on a stool at an elevated workdesk, with safety glasses on. He was leaning over a small contraption that looked somewhat like a robot, and in one hand he had pliers, maneuvering thin wire into position, and in the other he held a drill.

He glanced up from his project when he saw her walk in.

"Hi," she said.

"Hey," he replied, "give me a second." He spent a few more moments working on the project, drilling in screws and then he put his drill down, standing up and taking off the safety glasses.

"What are you making?" Pepper asked, walking closer to the project.

"I'm not really sure," he said, and turned his head to look at it. "Some sort of bot I think. Really simple. Almost like a kid's toy."

"What is it meant to do?" she asked.

"Talk," he replied.

"Talk? Like what, say interesting things at parties, tell jokes? Tell the weather? Or something more along the lines of Jarvis?"

"Actually I was thinking more along the lines of C-3PO. Albeit less… stupid."

"C-3PO is _not_ stupid!" Pepper protested.

"Yeah he is! I mean, seriously, a twelve year old could have designed him better. _I_ could have designed him better when I was twelve."

"Maybe a twelve year old _did_ design him," Pepper said.

"What, like young Anakin Skywalker?"

"Yeah! Come on, Tony – you can't seriously tell me that a robot that can translate all those languages is stupid!"

"I'm just saying that the programming was off! He may be great at translation but is problem solving skills are lame."

"But that's why he's a valuable character! He's flawed, just like Luke, or Han, or any of them."

"He's a robot, he's not supposed to be a character, or flawed."

"Of course he's a character! And not everyone can design a robot as perfect as you."

"Of course not!" Tony replied, with more than a hint of teasing smugness.

"Stop," Pepper said, and at first it sounded just like all of the times she'd told him to stop before. Stop teasing. Stop flirting. Stop being so smug. Stop being full of yourself. Stop talking. But Pepper turned away towards the table and trained her eyes on the bot in progress instead. And that's when Tony noticed that her 'stop' was something else entirely. A plea laced with grief for that which was lost.

He stepped around to stand next to her at the bench. Pepper reached out to touch the bot but Tony laid his hand over hers before she could reach it.

"The metal is still hot from the soldering I did earlier," he said by way of explanation.

"Ah," she said, then fell silent.

"I think I might have done it again," Tony said, a tentative tone in his voice, "Reminded you of…"

"Yes," Pepper said, holding back her sorrow for both their sakes. She took a deep breath. She had to compose herself. She was strong. She could get through this.

She turned to face Tony, and for a moment almost let everything break again, because what she saw was a newfound compassion in him that she'd assumed was a fluke from the night before. Then it was back to normal. Back to Tony Stark, who didn't care. But that wasn't entirely true. He did care about more than himself, and she could see that. She'd known it for some time.

And she almost lost it because she realized in some way, Tony Stark cared about her. His actions the previous night had been enough to prove that, as well as his manner that morning. He knew what it was like to be alone. She wondered for a moment if perhaps he was the only person she had left to care about. It still didn't seem real that she had nobody left.

Yet she gathered herself and took a breath.

"I'm sorry," she said, "about last night. I think… I think it's best to say we'll just put that in our book of "Things that Happened Which We Must Never Speak of Again"."

"Ah, right, yes, well…" Tony said. "Yeah that's… fine. That's fine," he finished. "That book is sort of a growing book anyway."

"Right," Pepper said, with a small smile, but her heart wasn't in it.

"It's ok though…" Tony started, then stopped, then started again, "if you want to talk about it."

Pepper wasn't expecting that. So she nodded, and said,

"Ok well… thanks."

But she didn't talk about it, and Tony didn't press her. Instead, he sat her down at a chair in front of the computer, and they sat down to work on funeral arrangements, and all the things that needed to be done. Tony seemed to know exactly how to go about it, who to call, and what to do. He left the important decisions up to Pepper, but gently offered his advice when she needed it, and for that she was grateful.

* * *

He stood by her side at the funeral. He was there the entire time, actually, except when he was a pall bearer. It seemed right that he be a pall bearer – at least in that way he could try and carry some of the weight that rested in Pepper's heart. But he knew he couldn't ever get rid of it. Not completely.

Pepper left his side for the eulogy, which she delivered as tears fell from her eyes, but somehow she managed to speak through them with considerable composure; something he admired her for. When his parents died he hadn't been that stable.

She spoke with great affection for her brother… choosing not to focus on the tragedy of his death but the remarkableness of his life. How amazing it was that they had made it together, after their parents died. How brilliant Michael's mind was. As she spoke, Tony watched her, standing at the podium in front of the few of Michael's friends, colleagues, and teachers that he'd known.

"He was… incredibly gifted. He had a vision to help people using the skills and intelligence he'd been given," Pepper said. She spoke in terms about Michael that Tony had heard used about himself many a time. Sometimes he let himself accept what the magazines and the internet said – that he was a genius. And indeed, he knew he was. He couldn't have graduated from MIT at 17 if he wasn't. But of course, he'd heard people tell him he was a genius so many times if just to flatter him that it didn't matter in the same way it used to when he was younger. Hearing Pepper talking about her brother though… he could hear it in her voice. The way she spoke with pure admiration for Michael's genius, and for his heart.

He wished he could do something to help. He'd actually never wished he could help anyone more in his entire life than he wanted to help Pepper then, but he let her finish speaking about her brother. About how much she would miss him, about how much she loved him. Michael's life had been snuffed out too soon, as had his sparks of inspiration for ideas that would help the world, and other less fortunate than he.

He could see it though. Tony could see the spark in Pepper's eyes that told him she was planning to somehow continue his work. Perhaps not by doing it herself. She didn't think herself smart enough for that. But she was Pepper Potts. And she would find a way to continue her brother's legacy. Somehow he understood this even though no words passed between them on the subject.

The casket was lowered. The final prayers were said. He stood at her side and watched her cry. They all stood under umbrellas as it rained. Eventually something in his own heart snapped and he found himself with his hand wrapped around Pepper's, much too close to her than had ever been acceptable for them, but she pressed her cheek to the wet wool of his black coat and he silently offered what comfort he could give. It hurt to watch them suffering – all of the people there. But nobody hurt more than Pepper did, and nothing hurt more than watching her in such pain.

The funeral – Michael's death had been kept quiet. The press had been kept away. So the only ones to watch in the peaceful cemetery were the people who had attended the funeral.

Funerals were an interesting thing. He'd stayed as far away from them as possible, since his parent's death. This was in fact the first once he'd been to since the depressing event that didn't feel real that had been his parent's funeral. How alone he had felt.

_ What was this?_ he wondered. He'd thought he was over everything. Still, the fact remained that he was a bit crippled by a sense of loneliness he'd tried to replace with parties and cars and women and drinking. Standing there in the cemetery though, he wasn't sure exactly what he felt. Memories and feelings he'd buried long ago resurfaced, but he found that he wasn't so alone as he thought he'd been, or remembered being. In fact, he wasn't alone at all.

He held Pepper's hand a bit tighter and he felt her shift closer to him. He couldn't replace Michael, and he couldn't solve all of her problems. He couldn't be everything. But he could give a sort of brotherly love. He wasn't good at love. Not really. He just didn't know how.

But maybe… just maybe Pepper could teach him. And perhaps he would teach her.

* * *

When they walked away from the grave, and back to the car, the rain hadn't stopped, but Tony felt a bit lighter in his heart, and Pepper found a sense of closure. She was strong. She could keep going, no matter what. Just as long as she wasn't… afraid. As long as she wasn't afraid to care. She didn't know if that were possible. She always lost everything she cared about.

She watched as Tony looked out the window and wondered if perhaps he felt the same. When he turned from staring at the rain to look back at her with a warm, compassionate smile, she realized that yes. He did.

And that was all she needed.

* * *

A/N: YEEERRRP. So that's that. Feedback please. I do need to know if you liked it and WHAT you liked about it in order for me to properly write my epilogue! :P


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